


Atrophy

by Stariceling



Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen, Spoilers, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-05
Updated: 2007-07-05
Packaged: 2017-12-05 18:56:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/726759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stariceling/pseuds/Stariceling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after the chunin exam. Neji understands Lee's stubbornness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Atrophy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rice_kracker](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=rice_kracker).



> Takes place between the end of the chunin exam and Lee's surgery. I think Neji comes out a little... fluffy when I write him from Lee's point of view (my Lee smooths over when he's rude or crabby, I guess)

“You’re not supposed be wearing those.”

Lee looked up quickly, trying not to feel guilty. “I only put on one,” he argued. He needed the weights; couldn’t Neji see that? He needed pressure of them, the familiar burden, to reassure him that his muscles wouldn’t atrophy. He hadn’t even tried to attach a second set to the leg that Gaara had. . . to his left leg.

After being inactive for far too long, Lee was sure he would go mad if he couldn’t do something, anything, soon. He widened his eyes at Neji, trying to tell his teammate that without making himself utterly vulnerable.

Neji ignored both Lee’s excuses and his expression. He knelt in front of Lee and ripped the weights off before Lee could even pull his legwarmer up over them to block them from view.

Lee wasn’t giving up that easily. He knocked Neji’s hand away and made a grab for his weights, but it was both of Neji’s hands against his one functioning one. He was quick enough to deflect Neji’s hands twice, but he still ended up with Neji grabbing his wrist to keep him from punching and dragging him close with his other hand.

It was almost ironic that Neji had tracked him down in the same clearing where they had acted out so many challenges, but now the fight was impossibly weighted in Neji’s favor. Not that it hadn’t always been, but before Lee had always had hope. Each time he had repeated to himself that this might just be the day he bested Neji.

Obviously today wasn’t going to be his day. Even as Lee struggled, more frustrated with his own body than he could ever be with his teammate, Neji scooped one arm under his legs and lifted him right off the ground.

“Please put me down!” Lee squirmed in Neji’s arms, even though he could feel how Neji had to shift to keep his balance. He didn’t care if Neji dumped him on the ground. “I can walk!”

“I know.” Neji hitched Lee up against his chest, glaring daggers at him. “Stop that. I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Lee, stop squirming or I’m going to drop you!”

Lee bristled at Neji’s words. It was none of Neji’s business if he hurt himself, and he wanted his weights back. He tried to snatch them back, only to have Neji toss them out of his reach.

“If you injure yourself now you’ll take even longer to heal.”

That startled Lee so much that he stopped struggling. Neji never said anything so far as his recovery was concerned. Lee had assumed that Neji expected he would never recover, but at the same time he trusted that Neji wouldn’t be cruel enough to wave it in his face. It had simply become one more barrier he would get over in spite of Neji’s doubts.

Now Neji was implying that he expected Lee to get better. More than that, he was implying that Lee had better go about his recovery quickly and efficiently and not keep Neji waiting. Lee didn’t know what to say.

Now that he had stopped struggling, Neji started to carry him down the hill, away from their clearing and back towards the village. Lee couldn’t tell from his expression if Neji realized how important what he had just said was.

“Neji, my weights,” Lee finally said. He wasn’t sure what to say to accept Neji’s wonderful statement, so he settled for the mundane.

“They will still be there when you get better!”

When. Lee drew in a sharp little gasp of breath at that word. Not if, but _when_. Neji wouldn’t try to get his hopes up like that. Lee didn’t think he even believed in hope. Knowing that made the words all the more powerful and precious.

“No, I mean you left them on the ground,” Lee protested. His head was still humming with the word ‘when,’ so that he hardly knew what he was saying.

Neji turned and marched back up the hill before bending down so that Lee could grab his weights and hug them to his chest with his good hand. He got a powerful glare from Neji, probably because he had decided to drag out the heaviest set, but Lee didn’t care. Neji couldn’t have been too angry, anyway. He didn’t even threaten to drop Lee this time.

“Thank you.” Lee wasn’t bothered by Neji’s grumpy expression. He knew better than that. In fact, he could feel himself smiling. It had been too long since he had smiled for anything other than to reassure Gai-sensei.

“You can thank me when you’ve healed.”

There was that word again. Lee rested his head on Neji’s shoulder with a happy sigh, not minding the look Neji gave him. Even Neji had some faith in him, and he would not, he could not let Neji down! Lee felt ready to leap out of Neji’s arms and dash ahead of him to prove that he still possessed all the energy and vigor of his youth. He had all but forgotten that his injured leg still ached from dragging himself up to that clearing in the first place.

“Stop moving.”

“Sorry.” Lee felt odd, energetic and comfortable all at the same time. He could hardly wait for the moment when he would challenge Neji again. In fact, Lee felt good enough that he didn’t think he would particularly mind being dropped if Neji got annoyed with him, but he was just as happy to stay still in Neji’s arms for the moment.

Lee promised himself he would surpass Neji’s expectations when he recovered.


End file.
